Finding Time
by MoonVeil
Summary: Sakura is given a chance to peer into the past—to see things she never wanted to see. To know the truth behind a massacre and to save the boy lost in the lies. Sakura/Itachi
1. In a Bottle

**Finding Time,**

...In a Bottle

[Chapter One]

* * *

Sakura trailed after Ino, listening to the blonde's mindless rambling as she went on about something her teammates had done on their most recent mission. Around them Konoha's annual spring festival went on in full swing, coloring the city with bright light. Looking around at the beautiful array of kimonos, Sakura lamented over being dragged out of the hospital without being allowed to change; her own kimono still sat at the back of her closet, untouched. Ino, too, still wore her ninja garb, though she didn't seem to mind as her outfit garnered far more attention than a kimono would.

"Anyway," Ino said, abruptly changing the subject from her mission. "Did you see Hinata yesterday? Someone really needs to tell that girl that stalking is an unhealthy obsession."

Sakura, remembering her own period of "stalker", smiled. "It's okay; Naruto's too oblivious—she's got to be a little odd to get his attention."

"I'm not convinced. Anyone who has a crush on Naruto is weird, right off the bat." Sakura made a noise of protest and Ino waved her hand flippantly. Her recently manicured nails caught the light and the small silver butterflies embedded in them shone. Sakura had always envied Ino's amazingly ability to somehow keep her nails intact through both training and missions. Though, as she grew older, Sakura knew this was due to Ino being far less hands-on than the rest of her team.

Sakura had tried manicures a few times, though she'd torn them off within days either from training, or ripping them off when they got in the way of surgery at the hospital. Makeup had gone much the same way. After smearing it all over her face five or six times, she'd finally given it all back to Ino and never touched the stuff again. Tsunade had laughed at her failed attempts and finally given her some red polish—nail polish was easy and never got in her way.

"But on top of that, stalking?" the blonde drawled, pulling Sakura back into their discussion. "And that girl's fashion sense—she looks so heavy in her clothes. It's sad."

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, though the words got caught in her throat as she spotted something just over Ino's shoulder. It was a stand she'd never seen before at the festival; small and rather dingy, hidden between two larger stalls. The doorway was covered with long beads that shimmered dimly in the overhead lights that lit up the store's sign. A sign that consisted of two hands cupping a crystal ball with "Madam Yokurai" written under it in scrawled type. Something about the odd shop drew her in and she found herself waving to Ino to stop her continued rant.

"Hey Ino, I'm going to go in there a second. Okay?"

Ino followed her finger and barely glanced at the shop before looking away. "Huh? Sure, that's fine." The girl jerked her thumb over at the fish stand. Every year it was a sort of tradition for Ino to try and catch herself some fish, though she almost always failed. Her typical habit of rushing things always outweighed her ninja abilities. "I'm gonna go get a fish."

"Alright." Sakura replied, equally distracted. The two girls separated, Sakura walking towards the odd store and Ino rushing to find money to play. Before she was even two feet from the store, the overwhelming scent of incense smoke reached Sakura's nose and she wrinkled it in response.

Sakura had never, in the entirety of her life, believed in psychics. She believed in chakra and genjutsu, but beyond that her belief wasn't very strong. And, since Sasuke's defect from Konohagakure, her desire to believe in fate had dropped greatly. The beads were warm and smooth against the back of her hand as she pushed them aside to duck into the store. The smell thickened and smoke clouded the already dark store.

Breathing shallowly through her mouth, Sakura walked forward until her feet bumped against a large pillow lying on the floor. Her eyes drifted upwards, lighting on a slight girl of fourteen or fifteen. The candles placed around the room lit up her bronze skin and made the gold specks of color in her eyes turn to copper. Sakura waited until the girl raised up one hand and smiled kindly, becoming Sakura forward with a finger.

"Come sit down, Sakura. I've been expecting you."

Awkwardly, Sakura sat. And then cleared her throat. "Um, excuse me—have we met?"

The girl waited until she had arranged herself on the large pillow-seat before responding. "In this life, no."

Waiting for that to be added upon, Sakura studied the girl she imagined to be "Madam Yokurai". She was very pretty and slender in the extreme—with high cheekbones and full lips. Her hair was long and jet black, the same beads that hung from the doorway were braided in. The color of her eyes was an interesting mixture of blue and gold. She had lined them with kohl, which added extra definition to their unique coloring. Realizing that the girl had never said anything else and that she'd been staring, Sakura cleared her throat, flushing darkly.

"Uh…"

The girl smiled again, her white teeth standing out against the dark red of her lips. "No need to be nervous, Sakura. I am not here to judge you. You only need say what you want to see."

"See?" Sakura scratched absently at her arm. "You mean…like in the future?"

"It doesn't have to be," the girl replied. "It can be anything—something that exists now, something that no longer is among us or something that has yet to come."

The pink-haired girl let that sink in as she began to wonder why she'd come into this store in the first place. She didn't _believe_in this kind of hooey. "Sasuke." She told the girl without really giving it much thought.

"Sasuke?" The girl nodded thoughtfully and the beads in her hair clanked together. She twisted a bit to the side and grabbed up the crystal ball that had been on her advertisement sign. After getting the ball settled on the pillow between them, she extended a hand and took up Sakura's. "Just relax and don't fight against me."

Sakura hesitated, not liking the sound of that, but wasn't given a real chance to protest. The fortune teller girl pressed her hands face-down on the ball and held them there with surprising strength. The ball was burning hot under Sakura's hands and she resisted the urge to wriggle them free of the girl's hold.

"Close your eyes, Sakura. And relax."

Sakura obeyed instantly. Dimly she was aware of the oddest pressure at the back of her head; it was like being poked. Then, slowly, her first and dearest memory of Sasuke played in front of her eyes like a movie going far too slow. He was eight and angry—the loss of his family still fresh in his young mind. Sakura, who knew the pain of being alone all too well, recognized the signs and longed to reach out to the dark boy. Her time with Ino was still too new and her chronic shyness restricted her to laying flowers on his desk during recess instead of actually saying something.

Sasuke had thrown them away, but she still vividly remembered the small, surprised smile on his mouth before he'd done so. At the time it'd been the trigger that started a landslide of affection for him.

Without warning she was looking down at a battered boy of no more than twelve. Sakura knew the drops of water raining down on his cheeks were her tears—at the time she'd thought that Haku had really killed Sasuke; that he was gone forever. His eyes opened slowly and her name tumbled out of his mouth before she was jerked away again, this time to watch him fight against Orochimaru.

Sakura watched her life crawl by, knowing that somewhere the fortune teller girl was watching too. It made her uncomfortable; these were _her_memories of Sasuke and she wasn't enjoying sharing them. The feeling was childish and idiotic, but remained even as the single most painful and recent memory of Sasuke came to a sudden halt. Sakura opened her eyes, though the image of Sasuke's sword racing down at Naruto's back didn't immediately leave her.

"Interesting." Her hands were released and they flopped down to the pillow, boneless. Sakura shook off her stupor and watched the black-haired girl begin to root around through her things. She hadn't noticed until just then, but the back of the tiny store was cramped with boxes overflowing with odd looking items. "At first I thought you were in love with Sasuke," the fortune teller said conversationally as she shoved a box away.

"What?"

The girl didn't look away from her searching. "But I see now that you're still wavering between feelings of romance and simple friendship. Though you do not see him as a brother like you do Naruto. Darn it, where _did_ I put that bottle?"

"May I ask what you're looking for?" Sakura wondered, trying to avoid the subject of her love life. She got enough grief about that from Ino.

"Of course you may, Sakura." The fortune teller pushed a thick chunk of black hair behind her ear. "But first we need to reach an understanding. The past is a dangerous thing—for some full of regret and anguish. Most people want to change that, which is why my shop is still running."

The girl growled out a curse and shoved another searched-through box away from herself in disgust. "As I was saying; attempting to change the past is a far more worrisome thing than simply going into one's future for a look around. Every choice you make has the potential to forever change the face of your world."

Sakura, at first confused by the girl's sudden conversation choice, was beginning to see where this was going. "Wait, wait—are you trying to say that you can send me into the past?"

"No need to sound so sarcastic," the black-haired girl muttered. "I'm used to skeptics, of course, but I've never really gotten around to tolerating you all very well. Either way, I don't normally decide to send people back. For one, the potion is hard to make and very time consuming, so I never enjoy it. And also the person can't be a dunderhead, or it's pointless; they'll just make a complete mess of everything.

"However, with you I think a look into the past would be the best option. Right now you have a few different paths to take with your life, but one of them cannot be reached with how you are now. I dislike giving such obvious nudges, but I think in you're case it's necessary. Ah ha! I found it!"

Sakura jumped when the girl spun around, black hair and beads flying with deadly force. "Oh, sorry about that, Sakura." The girl mumbled, patting down her hair in an embarrassed manner. Her hair under control, she held out a small vial, no longer than the length of her palm. Inside it was filled to the top with a murky blue liquid. When Sakura made no attempt to reach for it, the fortune teller grabbed her hand and forced her fingers closed around it.

"Now listen to me very closely. You don't have to drink the vial, Sakura—and if that is what you choose then this will be our only meeting. Should you choose to take it, on the other hand, every night for a month you will be taken into the past to view it through the eyes of another. What you chose to do with this time and knowledge is entirely up to you.

"But remember that _everything_you do, each small, insignificant thing has an impact on the present. Never forget that, Sakura." Seeing the disbelief in Sakura's eyes the fortune teller gave her hand a gentle pat. "Good luck."

"Oh, um, thank you." Sakura rose slowly from the pillow, suddenly needing out of the store as quickly as possible. "How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing this time." The black-haired girl grinned. "Next time bring cash though, ne?"

"Right." Sakura gave a small bow and exited the store quickly, pocketing the vial and shaking her head to clear away the fog in her mind. The festival lights seemed too bright after the time spent inside the store and she had to blink a few times before she could see properly and locate Ino. The blonde was kneeling over the fish stand, a paper wand in one hand and a look of determined annoyance on her face.

Glancing at Madam Yokurai's shop one last time, Sakura took off towards her friend, trying to forget about the vial resting at the bottom of her pocket. Ino glanced up briefly upon her arrival, but went back to the fish soon enough. "That was fast."

"Really?" Sakura said in genuine shock; it felt like she'd been in there for years.

Ino nodded. "Yeah, you were only gone like a minute or something." The girl went after a fish and lost it as the paper shredded, sending the fish back into the water with a plop. She let out a nasty string of curses, gaining her a dirty look from the man running the stand. She snatched up another wand, handing over a few coins to the man and began again.

Sakura's eyes followed all Ino's movements, though her mind wasn't all there. She wanted to get home and start testing the vial—if it was poison, as she was beginning to suspect, then Tsunade would need to be alerted before the girl gave it to a civilian. When Ino finally tired of spending money on the ever illusive fish, the two girls walked around the festival, gaining a few stuffed animals and enough sweets to ensure they'd both have a stomach ache the next day.

Nearly two hours after leaving the fortune teller's stand, Sakura finally was able to head home and kick off her heeled sandals and slip her feet into the fuzzy orange slippers Naruto's had given her for Christmas. Where he'd managed to find orange slippers, she'd never know. The girl then shed her uniform and hopped into the shower after opening the vial and getting a few drops of it started on poison tests.

Her shower over, she changed into pajamas and headed back out, surprised to find that all the results had come back negative. Sakura held the vial up in the light and stared at the liquid with narrowed eyes. It wasn't a poison, or a muscle relaxant nor anything else that might incapacitate someone long enough to steal from them and Sakura was left with her fall back.

More than likely it was hallucinogenic and the desired effect was to make her think she'd seen something and go back to the fortune teller for more. Unfortunately, the only real way to find out if she was correct or not would be to actually test the liquid and, having no willing subject other than herself, Sakura resolved to testing it.

So, after a simple dinner of rice and a bit of stir fry, Sakura drained the vial in one long swallow, her face scrunching up at the rancid taste that remained in her mouth. Rinsing her mouth out with water hardly helped and Sakura fell into bed regretting her decision to take the vial, if only because of the lingering taste.

The pink-haired girl rolled over onto her back, dragging her pink coverlet up to her chin and closing her eyes tiredly. Within moments she was asleep.

oOo

"Nozomi, honey wake up." A woman's voice, distant and sweet, floated into Sakura's ears the next morning, rousing her from sleep. She rubbed her fingers over her sleep-encrusted eyes, yawning hugely and was glad to find the bitter taste gone from her mouth. Her relief was short lived however, she when opened her eyes to find herself in a room that was not her own. Sakura launched herself from the bed she had been laying in, her eyes sweeping the large room in confusion. The walls were pale while and barren for the most part; there were a few wall scrolls that recited the Uchiha code of honor, which was odd, and also a few stands with swords and large windmill shuriken.

The bed she'd been sleeping in was far too large to be hers; it was almost the size of her parent's bed. And her stuffed animals were gone—no where to be seen. There was a large dresser against the opposite wall and a makeup table that looked as though it'd never been used before. Sakura froze, finally noticing the lock of black hair that'd fallen over her shoulder.

The girl lifted it up and tugged lightly, finding it to be connected to her skull as she feared. Inhaling deeply, Sakura walked towards the makeup table, eyes on the mirror. Sakura stood looking at her own reflection for a long time, not sure exactly what emotion was swirling through her most strongly. Horror? Fear?

The girl in the mirror was fair-skinned, with waist-length black hair and equally black eyes. Her nose was small and her lips perfectly proportioned—eyebrows straight and even, set on a forehead much smaller than Sakura was used to. It was the typical beauty of someone from the Uchiha family and Sakura stared at her reflection, feeling faint.

"Nozomi, hey are you up? Mom's calling."

Sakura twisted away from the stranger in the mirror to see a boy hanging from the doorway into her room. He was maybe sixteen, with boyish good looks and an impish smile. There was a toothbrush in one of his hands that returned to his mouth while he stared at her. In response to her silence, one of his eyebrows rose.

"Uh—what?" Sakura finally managed. Her voice was higher in pitch than normal and she cleared her throat, trying to rid herself of the oddness.

The boy laughed, wiggling the toothbrush back and forth over his teeth. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah. Yes, I mean. I'm feeling fine."

"Okay then. Breakfast is ready. You should probably get dressed or you'll be late."

Sakura glanced down at the pajamas that did not match the ones she'd put on that night before going to bed. When she looked back up the boy was gone, and she took that opportunity to close the door to 'her' bedroom. There was a small bathroom connected to her room and she ducked in to change into clean clothes that she'd pulled from the dresser at random.

The shirt was short-sleeved and black, with the Uchiha symbol imprinted on the back, the shorts small and tan. It was very familiar; as she'd seen Sasuke wear something very similar for most of her childhood. Sakura brushed her teeth and washed the stranger's face, still feeling like it was going to peel off at any given moment. She took a moment to wonder over the length of her hair, having forgotten the work in having long hair.

Dressed and clean, Sakura cautiously crept out of the bedroom and into a long hallway. The boy from earlier appeared from the room next to hers, dressed in the same high-collared shirt and tan pants that she was wearing. Sakura took a moment to privately be disgusted over how boring the Uchiha wardrobe was. "Finally dressed?" he asked teasingly, giving her head a rub as he passed and completely ruining the ponytail she'd worked so hard on.

Sakura yelped, her fingers rising to smooth out the mess in horror. God boys were _such_ morons. Not knowing what else to do, she followed him down the hall, redoing her hair as she did. The farther they walked the stronger the smell of cooking bacon got. The boy led her into a large kitchen and part breakfast nook where a beautiful woman was stirring around a large bowl of eggs. She glanced up and smiled at them.

"Morning, sweetie. Your brother finally managed to get you up?"

The boy snorted. "No idea why they let someone like her by a chunin. No real ninja would ever sleep that deeply."

"Don't be mean, Shisui." Sakura blinked as she moved to join the boy who was supposedly her brother at the breakfast table, trying to recall just where she'd heard that name before. Their mother set a plate of bacon and toast down and Shisui immediately reached for the bacon, giving himself a few.

"Is dad going to eat with us this morning?" he asked, handing the bacon plate to Sakura and grabbing a piece of toast next. Sakura took a slice of bacon and set the plate back down. She watched the woman flitter around with the skills of a mother used to multitasking. She brought a pitcher of milk and orange juice to the table before going back to flip the eggs she'd started to cook.

"No, your father had to head into work early this morning. Fugaku-san called for a meeting pretty early."

Shisui munched on a piece of the bacon he'd gotten and chased it down with a massive gulp of milk. Sakura wrinkled her nose in distaste. Naruto had the same problem of putting too much food or drink into his mouth at once and it always made her feel a little queasy. "You think it's anything important?"

"No I'd imagine not." Their mother replied. She finished cooking the eggs and brought them over to the table and finally joined them. Up close she was even prettier than Sakura had first thought. "Nozomi, love, hold out your plate."

Sakura held out her plate, wondering if it was bad that she already responding to the name that was most certainly not her own. Once a good portion of the scrambled eggs had been scooped out onto her plate Sakura began to eat slowly, chewing all her food slowly and listening to the Uchiha's talking.

"You don't eat enough," Shisui said. The boy dropped a buttered piece of toast and another sliver of bacon onto her plate, ignoring her frown. "Ninja's need to eat plenty of food to keep them going all day. Drink some orange juice, too."

Not willing to fight with someone she didn't even know, Sakura snatched up the juice and poured herself a glass, not looking happy about it. "Nozomi is smaller than you, Shisui. Don't feed her too much."

He snorted, gathering up another forkful of eggs. "She'll be fine. As a chunin her missions will be getting harder and she'll need the extra calories."

"Speaking of missions." The woman blinked, "what time is Itachi coming over?"

Sakura choked on her eggs. Her mother looked over in alarm and began to pat her back with surprising force. "Geez, Nozomi. Chew," Shisui shook his head and handed Sakura her glass of juice which she greedily gulped down. "Itachi should be here in a few minutes. It's kind of sad to know this will probably be our last joint mission together as jonin."

The woman rubbed Sakura's back soothingly, not yet noticing that Sakura had gone a shocking shade of white. "Itachi is truly gifted. To be taking the ANBU exams at twelve. His family must be so proud." She trailed off, frowning down at Sakura. "Honey what's wrong?"

Sakura, who'd finally remembered why the name Shisui was so very familiar, stared across the table at her 'brother'. Sitting here, grinning and making jokes, was Itachi's first victim—his supposed best friend. The girl shook her head, finding her voice after a time. "Nothing…I'm fine, mother."

Shisui regarded her with the same raised eyebrow look he'd given her this morning, though now there was obvious worry lacing his look. The girl continued to drink, not trusting herself to say anything and not say something foolish. The soft chime of a bell was heard from down the hall, distracting her family from staring at her. Shisui rose slowly, taking his dirty plates to the sink.

"Be safe, dear," his mother called.

"See ya."

Sakura waved half-heartedly, worry making her stomach clench. Was it really safe to let him go off on a mission with Itachi? For all she knew this could be the day Itachi murdered him…

"Sh-Shisui!"

The boy paused, looking back at Sakura curiously. Whatever he saw in her face made him come back slowly. "Nozomi what's wrong? You've been acting weird all morning."

"Do you…really have to go with him?"

"Him?" he blinked. "You mean Itachi? Of course; he's on my team. Why?"

Sakura squirmed for an answer. The front bell chimed again and her mother got up to answer it, slipping out of the room quietly. Realizing Itachi was about to come into the house and she was going to have to face him, Sakura had to bite down on her urge to bolt like a startled horse. Shisui suddenly smiled.

"So _that's_ it!"

"What's it?"

His smile turned cat like. "You'll be married to Itachi soon enough, you don't have to hog him. It's not like I'm after him."

"That is _not_what I meant!" Sakura paused, suddenly detouring and going back to what was first said. "Wait—_married_?" she hissed.

"Why are you acting so surprised?" Shisui glanced over towards the hallway where her mother's and a deep, unfamiliar male voice could be heard coming closer. "Dad told you about it only two nights ago."

They were hardly four feet from the door. Confronted with the knowledge that she was about to be forced to come face-to-face with one of her greatest enemies, Sakura did the only rational thing she could think of. She bolted. Out the kitchen and through a side door that led into the back yard garden. She channeled chakra into her feet and leapt off the porch and onto the neighbor's roof, running over the burning shingles, very much aware that she wasn't wearing shoes.

Okay, so she was being highly irrational and running away really wasn't going to help her situation any, but the urge she felt to _run_at the mere sound of Itachi's name was almost instinctual. Sakura slowed down and eventually jumped off the apartment roofs and into one of the large trees that grew around the parks and training grounds to rest her feet. She sent out a quick scan to make sure Shisui hadn't decided to follow her before locking in her chakra and sealing off her presence.

Sakura let her head fall back against the tree that was keeping her upright, taking a moment to sort out the jumbled mess of her thoughts. First she needed to figure out how she was getting back home—she'd been skeptical at first, but she was certain now that this was _no_illusion, nor a skillful genjutsu. She'd have seen through them by now.

The fortune teller hadn't said how she'd be getting back home; only that she was going to come back to this girl's body every night. Sakura made a note to ask her host's mother the date when she went home, though she wasn't going back there until she was absolutely certain Itachi was NOT going to be waiting around. That was one meeting she was more than happy to put off.

Knowing the date would help her place exactly how long she had until the Uchiha massacre; something she really did not want to be apart of, no matter how much she loved Sasuke.

Sakura paused, her forehead crinkling into a frown as she turned towards a sudden rustling in the bushes, followed by a hiccup. The girl crept through the trees, following the noise of someone crying, having the oddest sense of déjà vu. And she understood why the moment she broke through the line of trees, spotting a small child sitting on the sidewalk, head between her knees.

Her hair was long and uneven and a bright pink against her pale skin. She hadn't noticed Sakura coming over the sounds of her sobs and the older girl stood in shock. Sakura wasn't sure when this childhood memory had faded, but she _should_ have known the second she heard the crying and saw the park signs that this was where she'd come as a child to cry.

As she stared at herself crying, Sakura realized that this was precisely what the fortune teller had been cautioning her against. Sakura's feet had already started to propel her towards the girl, her mouth parting with soft, soothing words. But the idea of how drastically her life would change if there was no Ino had frozen her in place.

It was true Sakura had suffered greatly through her friendship and rivalry with Ino, but it had also gotten her to where she was as a ninja. It had pushed her to the top of her academy class and inspired her to train harder and longer. It had cultivated her love and adoration of Sasuke and he _needed_ that from her, whether he knew it himself or not.

So Sakura took a quick, chakra-laced step backwards into the trees, her heart aching at the inability to comfort the pained child, but knowing it was better off this way. Sakura distracted herself with the realization that if she could see herself as a child—Sasuke and Naruto had to be somewhere in the village too. Casting one last look at the girl, Sakura left the area in a hurry.

Finding Naruto was easy; she'd barely gotten two steps into the small park where the younger children played before she could hear him yelling—followed by someone that sounded strikingly like Kiba shouting back. The girl came to a stop next to one of the benches surrounding the park, smiling as she saw that it was indeed Kiba Naruto was playing with.

The two boys were arguing bitterly on who would be the Hokage and who the evil overlord—neither wanting to be the latter. Shikamaru, looking as lazy and unenthusiastic as his older self, watched them argue. Beside him Choji chomped away at a large bag of BBQ chips, not seeming concerned with the fighting. They made an interesting pair and, reminiscing on it, Sakura was surprised that she had forgotten their little click had been together as far back as their academy days.

Sometimes it was hard to remember things past team seven, as if nothing else mattered. She watched the boys for a few more minutes, grinning when Kiba finally caved in and their ninja game finally began with Naruto as the Hokage. Finally, the desire to see what Sasuke was up to beat out the amusement of watching a young Naruto boss his friends around, and she left.

It took a lot longer to find Sasuke and in the end she had to resort to her years of stalking to remember all of his little hideaways. Sasuke was a creature of routine and sure enough, the second location turned up gold in the form of a small, tired-looking boy. His pale face was flushed and his dark hair matted against his forehead with sweat.

Sakura settled down against the thick base of a tree to watch him as he practiced his marksmanship, surprised at his obvious skill. She really shouldn't have been; Sasuke had always worked far harder than he appeared to. Watching the smaller, obviously happier Sasuke, reawakened the dulled ache in her chest—the ache that came with the knowledge that _her _Sasuke was somewhere, lost in the darkness of his own soul.

For the first time since arriving in the 'past', Sakura wondered how exactly this was supposed to help Sasuke. She could always murder Itachi—or expose his true nature somehow, but that'd be going against the warning to watch how much she affected the future. If she couldn't drastically _change_anything, Sakura wasn't sure what she **was** supposed to do.

Hanging around to watch Itachi kill off the Uchiha family—something she was now apart of—didn't sound very attractive. Sakura huffed at the thought, her cheeks puffing out. Sasuke, his ninja skills still too dull, didn't hear the loud noise and continued training, unperturbed. Even more pressing than the upcoming massacre was the fact that she had _absolutely no idea how she was getting home_.

Funnily the fortune teller had conveniently forgotten to tell her just how she'd be finding her way home. The girl rubbed a hand across her forehead, grunting as she accidentally pulled sharply on the long bangs she'd forgotten about having now. Reminded of her hair, Sakura reached back to flip some of the thick stuff onto her shoulder to examine with envy.

She'd always been jealous of Sasuke's glossy black hair, but Nozomi's hair was just as fine and felt like silk to the touch. Sakura lifted up her hands to study them, satisfied in seeing that her hosts hands were as scarred as her own, though the skin was a few shades paler than she was accustomed to. Her nails were very short and square—they lacked any sort of polish and it seemed as though the girl didn't bother much with taking care of them.

Sakura frowned in dissaproval. She may have been a ninja, but she was still a woman and taking care of her appearance on high of her "DO" list. She looked away from her nails to find that Sasuke was gathering up his supplies and preparing to head home, looking satisfied with his work. Sakura warmed up at the sight and followed him closely on his way home.

Sakura was well aware that she was shifting back into stalker-ish behavior, but hardly cared. If she didn't end up being able to come back again, despite the fortune teller's assurances, she wanted to soak up tiny Sasuke as long as was possible. She had to stop once they entered the Uchiha compound; Nozomi's house was in another part of the district than his. Though where _exactly_ that was she wasn't positive; having left from the rooftops and not the streets.

It was made easier for her since Shisui was waiting for her on their large front porch, looking far more worried than he had this morning. She barely had time to feel surprised before he was at her side. "Nozomi! I've been looking all over for you!"

Sakura stared at him for a moment before releasing her hold on her chakra and letting it slowly slide back out, feeling it settle on her skin. "Sorry," she muttered.

"I didn't know you could do that," Shisui said slowly. "You are improving." He shook his head suddenly as if to clear away distracting thoughts. "Look, Nozomi, I'm sorry I upset you this morning; I didn't mean to. You should come inside; mom's been worried sick. It's not like you to bolt like that."

Sakura scratched her arm anxiously, feeling awkward and uneasy. It was hard to stand next to this boy—who was now her brother—and not see his name on the large plaque that honored the fallen Uchiha clan.

When she didn't say anything, Shisui set a large hand on top of her head and rubbed her hair fondly. "You're not in trouble, Nozomi. No need to look so worried." He grinned, "unless you did something while you were gone…?"

Sakura took one look at his wiggling eyebrows and went a mortified red. "No!" It was hard not to give him the dark glare she graced Naruto with in his stupider moments. "I didn't do anything like that."

"Oh good," her brother said happily, his hand moving to her shoulders as he tugged her up the porch steps and into the house. "You'd break poor Itachi's heart."

Sakura grimaced at the mention of the Uchiha and sought to change the subject. "I smell food."

"That's because mom just put dinner down."

Dinner? Sakura started, shocked by how long she'd been out watching Sasuke train. Was he always out so late into the afternoon? She followed Shisui through the long hallway towards the kitchen, hearing her mother's voice as they drew closer. The woman opened the sliding door and cast a relieved look at Sakura.

"Nozomi! Thank goodness, I was getting worried."

Sakura looked properly abashed; feeling genuinely guilty for worrying the woman. "Sorry, mother," she intoned.

"It's fine, dear. Come in both of you—it's time to eat."

The pair entered into the kitchen, heading over to the table where they'd eaten breakfast that morning. Sitting at the head was a tall man with dark good looks and the same curling black hair as Shisui. Sakura correctly guessed him to be her host's father. The man cast a raised-eyebrow look towards Sakura, but didn't say anything as they sat down next to him.

Sakura fiddled with her silverware as her mother brought dinner to the table and joined them, taking the seat next to her father and handing him the first plate. Shisui snatched up two rolls, throwing one down on Sakura's plate. She gave him a look at the disgusting table manners, but didn't say anything as she accepted the first platter of food to pile some of it onto her plate.

She chewed on her food slowly, listening as Shisui and her father discussed the on goings of the Military Police—something the Uchiha, while the clan was still around at least, ran. Shisui seemed to be considering a promotion and their father was adamant he take up the offer. Sakura waited until they had paused to ask Shisui why he wasn't on the mission with Itachi and his jonin team.

"Oh, that?" He smiled over at her, taking a drink from his tall glass of water. "It turned out to be a fluke mission; that was C-rank at best. We were out of there in an hour. Total waste of time."

Sakura almost asked what exactly the mission had been, but clamped down on her curiosity. From the little she knew about Sasuke's family they were private and had often not shared things, it wouldn't surprise her if most Uchiha families were similar to that. She nudged a pea around her plate, debating on whether or not the nutrients it provided were worth the bitter taste.

She blinked when a fork came through her line of vision and speared the tiny green veggie, taking it away with unnatural speed. She looked to Shisui hurriedly, but found him grinning at their father. "I was going to get that," her brother told the older man.

"Too slow. Ninjas have to act quickly and without hesitation."

Their mother cut in smoothly, her voice low, hiding amusement. "Darling perhaps Nozomi wanted to eat that?"

The men glanced over at her and Sakura smiled slowly. "No, it's okay mom. I wasn't going to eat it." Sakura sat back in her chair, basking in the normality of her newly found second family, happy to find that not **all**Uchiha's were stiffly polite and controlled.

Dinner was over quickly after that and she trailed after Shisui towards their rooms to change into her pajamas. While she changed, Sakura took a little longer to examine her new appearance. In addition to being very attractive, her host was also endowed with a large bosom—something Sakura instantly resented her for—and a small, slender body. Sakura herself was not tall, barely five two without her heels, but Nozomi was probably closer to five four.

She slipped a silk shirt over her head, pulling out her hair from under it and braided the thick locks swiftly. When she herself had, had long hair Sakura had found that braiding it during the night had saved her a long of grief the next morning. She would never _ever_ underestimate the horror of seriously tangled hair.

Sakura bushed her teeth and washed her face, taking comfort in such familiar things before she reentered Nozomi's bedroom. She un-tucked the beautifully made bed and slipped under the sheets, wiggling a little at the chill. Sakura had been convinced that she'd be unable to sleep with all the thoughts running rampant in her head, but the moment her head touched the soft down pillow, she was asleep, thoughts of Itachi and getting home gone.

* * *

**A/N:**This chapter was rewritten as of 10-19-09. Makii and I worked hard to spot any mistakes or grammatical errors, but we're not very good with spotting those, so if you see them, by all means point them out. And, if anyone is interested in being a beta reader, please email me. I'm desperate.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor do I make any claims towards ownership.


	2. In Comfort

**Finding Time,**

...In Comfort

(Chapter Two)

* * *

Sakura woke with a start, half falling out of bed in her haste to stand. A massive stuffed bear fell out of bed with her and she reached for it in mild surprise, smoothing a hand through its silky fur. As she slowly calmed, she found herself to be back in her own room and—presumably—in her own time. The girl sat back down, raising her hands to her hair and finding it was once again short, and, after a quick inspection, pale pink in color. Sakura heaved a sigh of relief, her shoulders sagging.

Sleep must have been the key to getting her to and from the past. It wasn't the best system for time travel; Sakura hardly felt rested. The girl stood up slowly, tossing the bear back up by her pillow, before heading to the small bathroom next to her room, but not connected. A quick shower helped to wake her up, though she had to be quick about it; hot water didn't last very long in her apartment.

Shower done, Sakura hurried to dress, shoving her arms into a shirt she'd picked out of her drawer at random. Drawstring pants came on next, followed by her hitai-ate. Sakura brushed her hair thoroughly, despite her rush. Even in haste, it wouldn't do to go out looking bedraggled; Ino would never let her live it down if she caught wind of the disgrace.

Once outside, Sakura rushed past civilians towards the festival grounds. The stands always broke down quickly the morning after a festival—the people who were a part of a traveling group needed to get back on the move in a hurry. Sakura was fairly sure the fortune teller was with them, which meant she needed to rush. She hadn't checked the time when she'd woken up, but according to the sun it was close to noon.

Sakura slowed down as she came into the festival ground, careful to keep out of the way of those working. She scratched at her hitai-ate as the heat of the day made it stick to the top of her scalp. But, she told herself, at least it wasn't around her forehead, making the sweat gather in a way that was sure to bring about acne.

The girl's eyes swept around the area, searching for Madam Yokurai's shop. She first found the fish stand where Ino had blown a good portion of her money in a failed attempt to catch herself a pet fish. However, in the space where Yokurai's shop _should have_ been, there was only empty space. Sakura took in a slow, cautious breath, not wanting to get ahead of herself. It _was_ possible the girl had packed up more quickly than her companions. She would still be waiting with the others to begin their progress to the next town festival, if this was the case.

She walked over to the stand next to where the fortune teller had been, clearing her throat to catch the attention of the man packing up his perfume shop. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you when you're working."

The man straightened, his pale brown eyes narrowing on her face. "What is it?"

"The girl whose shop was next to yours, do you know if she's a part of the traveling festival?" she asked, still polite, despite his rudeness.

He looked over at the patch of land that stood empty and then glared at her. "Is this a joke?"

"No. Of course not." Sakura glared back. "Why would I kid about something like that? I was in her shop last night."

"That's impossible," he told her flatly, "there was no stand there. It was vacant last night. Whoever rented it never showed."

Sakura felt like a bucket of ice had been poured down her back. She stood, staring at the man, unable to comprehend the reality of the situation she had found herself in. The man made an impatient noise.

"If that's all, I'm going back to work."

He turned his back on her, resuming his careful boxing of the store's perfumes. Sakura watched him for a long moment and then turned stiffly to head back towards her house. She should probably go to Tsunade and see if any missions were open for her, or check if she was needed at the hospital, but all she wanted to do was cool her head and _think_.

If the fortune teller was gone—vanished into thin air, apparently—then she was on her own. She had a month to spend in Nozomi's world, seeing through her eyes, without the guidance she had hoped for. Sakura needed to find out the date in Nozomi's time, so she might calculate the time left until the Uchiha massacre. It couldn't be too far off; from Sasuke's appearance, he was close to seven—the age when the murders had taken place.

Sakura chewed on her thumb nail, working it down to the quick. If she only had a month, then she would need to spend it wisely, starting with a detailed evaluation of the massacre in her time, and in Nozomi's. There had to be _something_ she could do to change the past. The fortune teller girl must have seen something significant to allow Sakura to travel back.

Decided, Sakura twisted around, the idea of a restful nap at home replaced by the desire to unearth some secrets. It was a quick walk to the Hokage tower, and she was inside even faster, greeted kindly by the staff working inside. As Tsunade's student, the sight of Sakura in jonin territory was nothing new.

She ran up a flight of stairs, taking them two at a time. As she walked down the hallway towards the records room, passing by Tsunade's office, she contemplated telling her teacher everything that had happened. She trusted Tsunade more than anyone else in the world: valued her opinion above all others and she knew the woman would always give her sound advice. However, Sakura told herself as she walked past the large double-doors, Tsunade's advice would be to dilute the spell somehow and prevent her from going back again. The more she thought about the opportunity she'd been presented, the more Sakura _wanted_ to go back again.

It was sordid, she knew, to desire to be in the presence of a killer but, as Nozomi, Itachi was her fiancé. It offered her a position that if manipulated correctly would let her milk information—Uchiha secrets, and offer a look into the mind of Itachi.

Sakura looked around quickly before darting into the records room, closing the door behind her. It was a huge room—bigger even than the Hokage office—filled to the brim with records on every ninja family who ever was, since the beginning of Konohagakure. The Uchiha's had a long shelving row all to themselves, void of outsiders to the clan. She walked to it, focusing on finding Shisui's name first; through him she would be able to find the rest of their family.

She found him easily, as he was the first name listed in the death log. Sakura walked towards Nozomi's family book, number 321, pulling it off slowly when she found it. It was a thin book; Nozomi had been unable to bring her branch of the family more children to thicken it up.

Sighing, Sakura set the book down on a study table and sat down, flipping through the first Uchiha's in their family line and focusing instead on the last children. Nozomi's Genin picture was presented at the top of her page. The face was more familiar to her now, no longer a stranger. It started off simply enough—name, ninja ranking at time of death, blood type, height, weight, age. Sakura passed over all these, and focused on what was known to Konoha about the girl.

Precious little, she found. There was no trace of a marriage proposal between the girl and Itachi, despite what Shisui had told Sakura. She doubted that he'd been kidding, considering her mother had been semi-present at the time. If the engagement was real, why hadn't it been recorded?

Sakura frowned deeply, creating a crease between two delicate pink eyebrows. Her eyes drifted to the next page: the autopsy report. A single, savage blow to the heart had done Nozomi in. Though, according to the doctor who'd preformed the inspection, the girl had been unconscious at the time the blow had been delivered. There was no sign of a head wound, or anything else that might have rendered her incapacitated, so the doctor had suggested a jutsu. It made sense, though she couldn't understand why Itachi would show even that little sign of compassion.

Sakura went back two pages, staring at the picture of the woman who was Nozomi's kind mother. She hesitated and then closed the book harshly, not wanting to know how the woman had been murdered. It was bad enough that she _had_.

Sakura returned the book to shelves and cleaned up after herself, removing the traces that she'd been there. That completed, she left the records room swiftly, avoiding detection as best as she could. She hurried towards the back stairs, wanting to get home and mull over what she'd learned. Thankfully, her return trip was met with no interruptions. It was lucky, really, since Naruto had a knack of finding her when she least wanted to have a long winded conversation with him about their next mission.

The girl let herself into her apartment and headed into the kitchen to eat a belated breakfast. When she'd turned fifteen, Sakura had insisted upon having an apartment of her own, to her parent's horror. To them she was still a child, unprepared for the tribulations of the world beyond. But if she was old enough to kill men in battle, she was old enough to be alone and she'd firmly put her foot down, winning the battle through sheer stubbornness.

Sakura liked her privacy—it gave her the space to think and relax, though relaxing only got harder and harder the older she became.

The girl stared down at the oatmeal she was cooking, her green eyes distant as she thought. Nozomi had only been eleven at the time of her death, hardly more than a child. It could account for the reason that her engagement to Itachi had not been public news. They would undoubtedly not be married until Nozomi was at least sixteen, and it was probably still being worked out when she died. Sakura glared at the lumpy mess of food, stirring it. Itachi was no more than a child himself at twelve, but his decision to murder his family had made it clear he was no **ordinary** child.

But he wasn't a child anymore, Sakura knew. He was a man now, more dangerous than he'd been as a child. But not just dangerous to Konohagakure—dangerous to Sasuke and Naruto, the two most precious people in her life. It was impossible to just disregard the delicious idea of murdering him before he had a chance to carry out the massacre. It would save so many lives, fix so many things…She stopped that thought in its track and flipped off the burner.

Sakura moved the oatmeal to a bowl, adding in brown sugar and blueberries. She sat at the table with a glass of milk and began to eat, chewing deliberately. Most of her diet books agreed; the slower you ate, the less you ate. Though she no longer had Sasuke to impress, it had become a part of her life to worry about her physical appearance. It gave her…some normality in a world that was steadily ceasing to be as she knew.

She rinsed out her bowl when she was done eating, leaving it hanging upside down in the dish rack to drip-dry before she headed to her room, shedding her clothes as she walked. The clothes went into her laundry hamper—she disliked clothing piling up on the floor. It was something she was trying to teach Naruto to get into, though he resisted doggedly, the pig.

The girl changed into silk pajamas, not bothering to brush her hair before she tumbled into bed. A look at the clock told her it was barely five pm. She'd hardly been awake at all, though she still felt exhausted despite all her sleep. She reached up to draw her heavy blue curtains closed, blocking out the sunlight and throwing the room into darkness. Sakura lifted the blankets up to her chin and tucked an arm around her stuffed bear, closing her eyes.

Her troubled mind continued to race, though the thoughts twisting around slowed into an unintelligible mush of ideas. She sank deeper into the bed, her breathing evening out. At last she slept.

oOo

Sakura opened her eyes to blaring sunlight that reflected of white walls. There was a warm weight pressed tightly against her side, a comforting, almost familiar thing. She frowned, blinking stupidly at the face that peered down at her. "Shisui?"

The boy smiled. "You look terrible, Nozomi."

"Good morning to you too," Sakura told him rudely, stung despite herself. "Why are you in my bed?"

"I'm not allowed to sneak into your room anymore?"

Sakura wiggled out of his grasp, avoiding answering that—she didn't know Nozomi well enough to speak so casually with him, though she appeared to be going about it right. Cuddling _seemed_ like something siblings did, not that she'd know. Shisui rolled out of her bed, landing in a twist that was executed with the smooth grace of a ninja.

"Your sensei came by early this morning to see if you were okay." The boy leaned against the wall and watched her gather up clothes to change into. "He was worried about you. I thought you had gone to meet your team yesterday when you bolted."

"I didn't bolt," Sakura denied immediately.

"Sure you didn't. He left a message—he's got a mission, so he won't be able to train your team today, but he'd still like you all to practice together."

"Thanks." She looked at him, arms full of clothes. "Do I have time for a shower?"

Shisui grinned, "if you hurry. Breakfast is almost ready. Mom made pancakes."

The girl nodded and ducked into her private bathroom, locking the door behind her. She scrubbed quickly but thoroughly, wondering what Nozomi's sensei and team were like as she washed. Nozomi was a chunin, she knew, but that didn't mean her teammates were. Sakura shut the water off when she was clean and toweled off briskly. She dressed herself in traditional Uchiha garb and began brushing out Nozomi's long hair.

Was it wise to go try and train, though? She didn't know how Nozomi's body operated, what jutsu she possessed, nor how to work the sharingan. Sakura tied up her thick black hair and thought about it from another angle. Perhaps…there was a way for her to delve into Nozomi's memories and study her life. If it was possible, Sakura could learn how to use the sharingan, something she'd always wondered about. But there were other things as well. Like Nozomi's past, or her engagement to Itachi Uchiha.

She left the bathroom and headed down the hall, nearly getting lost once, but saving herself thanks to the warm aroma of pancakes that wafted through the narrow hallways. All Uchiha houses were built old fashioned; sprawling, with many rooms and long, seemingly endless halls. The floorboards creaked under her slight weight; Sakura knew the house was probably terrible creepy come nighttime.

"Nozomi good morning," her mother greeted as she entered the kitchen. Today the food was already on the table, showing just how late she'd woken up.

Sakura sat herself down, making herself smile at the woman. "Good morning, mother."

"You slept later than normal, dear. Are you feeling well?"

"Fine," Sakura assured her as Shisui loaded her plate with pancakes and sausage. She shot him a dark look over the table at the amount of food. His return smile was sweet as could be. Left with nothing else, she started on the pile of food, already envisioning the stomachache she would soon be suffering.

"Nozomi," Shisui called, waiting until she looked up to continue. "I'm leaving for work soon—there some stuff I need to do at the Police Branch, want to walk with me?"

Since she wasn't really sure where her teammates met up—and had _no_ idea of what they looked like—she instantly agreed.

"Good. I don't like walking alone," he confessed.

Their mother beamed. "It's just like your academy days, Nozomi." Sakura looked over, eager to hear about her host's childhood. Her mother was far away in memories, the smile on her mouth fond. "Shisui always used to walk you to school, despite having missions of his own." Her brother nodded in agreement.

"You were cuter then. Quieter, too." Sakura glared at Shisui. He held up his hands, though his smirk was anything but apologetic. "Just saying, Nozomi."

They finished breakfast slowly, both getting later, but not wanting to break the warm easiness of the morning routine. Sakura had forgotten what it was like to eat with her family, and found that she missed the sound of her father's grumbling as her read the morning paper, and the sight of her mother hurrying to make Sakura's lunch for the day while also making breakfast. She had grown used to solitary meals in her small, quiet apartment.

Their mother walked them to the door and waved until they were out of sight, leaving Sakura with a dull ache in her chest. It had been so long since she'd gone to visit her own parents…

"What are you thinking about?" the boy asked suddenly, watching her from the corner of his eye. "You look like you're in pain."

She mumbled, turning her head to the ground, "I'm not."

Shisui took a long breath, but didn't push that. Instead he changed the subject. "Nozomi, tell me the truth—do you want to marry Itachi?"

She stopped in surprise. Shisui stopped as well, turning to stand in front of her. His dark eyes were filled with a mixture of emotions: worry, stress, anticipation…She looked away.

"It's okay to tell me the truth, Nozomi." The boy laid his hands on her shoulders. There was something very reassuring in the touch which motivated her to look up. "I'm your brother. I love you Nozomi. If you don't want to marry him, tell me at least."

"I don't," she whispered, speaking not for Nozomi, but for herself. Itachi was _evil_. Itachi had taken everything she loved from her and the idea of being engaged to him—even in a body that wasn't hers—repulsed her strongly.

"I thought so after yesterday." He rubbed her shoulders lightly. "Itachi he—he's a good boy, Nozomi. A good man, I should say," Shisui corrected, and there was a change in his voice. She got the feeling that the man inside the child Itachi scared her brother. His fears were well founded. "He'll take care of you."

What a joke. Sakura was tempted to tell him so, but it would lead to questions she absolutely could not answer, which would only leave her upset and frustrated.

"I guess."

"I wouldn't have let dad go through with the preparations if I didn't trust him Nozomi. He's saved my life numerous times."

Sakura bit down on her tongue savagely, the rage that was pooling in her gut almost making a rash attack against Itachi spill from her lips. Shisui carried on without noticing her sudden explosion of anger.

"Just think about it, okay? The wedding won't actually happen for a few more years. Talk to him, learn about him. You may come to like him someday."

"Sure," she mumbled, wanting to get off the topic. Shisui sensed it and began walking again. She stared at his back as she walked, studying the strong line of his shoulders and worrying about him. Shisui's faith in Itachi was foolish and would cost him everything. And now she was beginning to care for the boy—she had no doubts that by the end of the month she would love him passionately. He was the brother she'd longed for as a small child; the one who would protect her from the demons in her life.

Sakura took a breath and tucked her pain away into the back of her mind, averting her eyes to the stone path under her feet so she wouldn't trip.

oOo

Sakura stared across the training grounds at the boy who was currently the object of her deepest loathing and dislike. Dai Hyuuga—a junior member of the branch family, and still just a genin—was currently belittling her linage. It was like walking into her past and seeing the old, cocky Neji as he ruthlessly beat down on Hinata. But worse, Dai was so much worse.

He was apparently incredibly bitter that Nozomi had passed the chunin exams and continued to accuse her of cheating. He insisted that she'd only gotten through because she had the sharingan, and then added that she was a sad excuse for a ninja and an embarrassment to their team.

The third member of their squad was lazy enough to put Shikamaru to shame. He'd been asleep since they'd arrived and still hadn't moved. Her attention drifted back to Dai as he paused for breath.

"You're an imbecile," she told him swiftly. "If I passed because of my sharingan, then your byakugan should have helped you to pass. Now shut the hell up; you're getting on my nerves."

The boy spluttered, his cheeks turning a pale pink. He glared. "Shut up, Uchiha! _I'm_ not the one with _family_ on the committee!"

"Sure you are. There are numerous Hyuuga members on the committee." Feeling cruel, she added, "I suppose you think since you're a **branch** member they wouldn't help you along?"

The pink turned into a dark, angry red. "That's it, Uchiha. I'll kill you."

She held out a hand, needing to stop him. Despite not having a firm understanding of Nozomi's body, Sakura herself was a jonin-level medical ninja and was far more excelled than Dai. It would hardly be a fair fight. She would probably lose her temper, too, and wind up hurting the prick. Even if he deserved to be in pain for his spoiled display, it didn't mean she needed to take it into her own hands to put him in it.

"I passed the tests because I am skilled. End of story. If we're not going to train then I'm leaving."

Dai glared at her, his white eyes narrowed into slits. His hand was resting on his kunai pouch, ready to draw in the blink of an eye. "You can't leave. Sensei said—,"

"That we had to train together. We're not training." She gestured at the sleeping boy. "He's sleeping and you're whining about not being made a chunin when you _should_ be training for next year!"

The boy flushed again, this time in embarrassment. "I—that is…"

"Save it. I'm going somewhere else to train, and you two can do whatever you want." Sakura turned on heel and stomped away from the boys, heading towards a different training ground where she could be alone to revel in just how terrible her first meeting with Nozomi's teammates had gone. To make it worse, she'd lost her temper and snapped at the Hyuuga boy. From his surprise and inability to think up a response, she had to guess that Nozomi didn't often argue back.

But, Sakura told herself fiercely as she stopped towards another training ground where she could think, she had to assume Nozomi didn't like her teammates either. The lazy boy was tolerable; he'd done nothing _but_ sleep and, after years of knowing Shikamaru, she'd hardly even cared. But Dai—Dai was absolutely repulsive. She wanted to throttle him with something heavy just looking at his malicious face.

Sakura walked through a large gate that blocked off training ground eighteen, closing it softly behind her and heading towards a thick patch of trees. The girl sat down against the base of one, curling her knees up to her chest, dropping her head down onto them. A thick veil of black hair dropped into her line of vision. Nozomi really did have lovely hair, Sakura thought with an accompanying sigh of envy.

Alone in the quiet of the training ground, Sakura let her mind drift, feeling almost like she was falling asleep sitting up. As her mind focused on a blurry patch of faded memories, she dimly realized that they belonged to Nozomi. It could have only been a few months earlier; Shisui looked no different than he did now. Her family was celebrating the awakening of her sharingan. Sakura could see the pride shining in the eyes of Nozomi's father.

This memory was followed evenly by her graduation from the academy—this time Shisui was so much younger, boyishly handsome at fourteen. Itachi was with him; his cheeks still round with the baby fat of his youth. He was still solemn and older than his eight years. She let the image of his ancient eyes fade into a new thought.

Like the gentle flow of a stream, memories came and went, Sakura lulled almost to sleep observing them. As she watched, she began to piece together parts of Nozomi's life—shortly after obtaining her two-tomoe sharingan, she'd passed the chunin exams. After her success with jutsu, the sharingan and her passing of the exams, Itachi's father had approached hers to work out a future marriage plan.

Nozomi's parents were a high branch of the Uchiha clan, so a marriage to the head family was a feasible and wholly intelligent match. It was made only better by Itachi's extreme skill in all the ninja arts, and Nozomi's similarly growing abilities. They would make an excellent, powerful couple.

Or would have, at least.

Sakura raised her head slowly, wincing when there was a slight crick from having it tilted at the odd angle for so long. She rolled it around carefully as she stood, not wanting to make it worse. The muscles loosened, Sakura looked at the clearing in the training area and considered her options. Thanks to her look into Nozomi's mind, she now would have an aptitude towards learning to use the sharingan. It was an attractive thought.

If she knew how they worked, when she returned to her own body and time, she could use this information to aid Sasuke and disable Itachi. That decided her, in the end. The girl strode into the center of the clearing and stood very still, breathing deeply. In and out again, Sakura kept her breathing controlled and even.

Finally, when she felt like her nerves weren't going to explode—whether she was anxious or excited, she couldn't yet tell—Sakura began to focus Nozomi's chakra towards her eyes. Nozomi's chakra was far thicker and wilder than her own and it continued to slide out of her mind's grasp. It was like trying to tame a stray animal. Sakura's own chakra was smooth and soft and always came easily to her; she could control it like a water tap, turning it off and on at the mere flicker of her will.

Nozomi also had much more chakra than Sakura was used to. Though Sakura stored up her chakra all over her body, it never changed from the steady flow it always was. Nozomi's burned and fought her as she forced it through the optical nerves. It made her eyes water and she felt like cursing and spitting in frustration.

Nothing was _ever_ this hard for her. Sakura didn't like not having control of her chakra.

Sweat rolled down her forehead; her skull was a throbbing ache. It felt like she'd been beaten about the head with a hammer, and she'd hardly made much progress. Though she'd gotten the chakra to start squirming into the girl's connecting nerves, the iris was fighting against her, resisting the change into something else.

Finally Sakura felt a sickening pulsing at the surface of her eyes and then a cold, darkness pressed in, making her blind for a third of a second. And then the world was vivid—everything around her sharp and focused. Nozomi's hands were wrapped in chakra; its color was a burning mahogany red. Sakura brought her shaking fingers together in preparation for the simple transformation jutsu and through her sharingan time seemed to slow and then speed up.

Her eyes moved faster than her hands. Before she was half through the seals, Nozomi's sharingan had already analyzed the outcome of the jutsu and were spinning as if to soak it up. The slow-motion images of the hand seals were fresh in her mind and, if she wanted, Sakura could easily repeat them, even before her hands would be able to complete their cycle.

Awe made her breath short and staggered. She'd never dreamed that the sharingan could be like this. She felt powerful and more skilled than ever before.

But it was soon over—Sakura had exhausted her body for the day and the sharingan faded. The strain of getting chakra into her eyes had left a large chunk of Nozomi's power drained, which had led to very brief flirt with the sharingan.

Sakura left the training grounds, running over everything she'd experienced with the sharingan and imprinting it down onto her brain, making sure she would never forget it. When she arrived home, her mother was waiting in the front room, her pretty face flushed.

"Oh Nozomi," she moaned in horror. Her eyes drifted over Nozomi's sweaty, dirty face. Sakura tried not to squirm, having a bad feeling about where this was going. "I expected you home an hour ago! You never train this long. Take off your shoes and go take a shower right now."

Sakura protested, "But I took one this morning."

"You're filthy, Nozomi. And your brother just called ahead to say that he'd invited Itachi for dinner." She huffed. "Honestly, that boy, bringing guests without making plans first!"

Sakura's good mood was doused with ice and she felt a shudder ripple through her spine. Eat dinner with a murderer? They _must_ be joking, granted the joke wasn't a good one. She sure wasn't laughing.

"What's wrong?" Her mother didn't wait for answer as she pushed lightly on Sakura's shoulders, maneuvering her towards the hall. "Go, Nozomi. They'll be here in thirty minutes or less. Wear something nice, please."

She opened her mouth to lie about not feeling well, but then closed it. Her mother watched her walk down the hall to her room before going back into the kitchen to finish up dinner. Sakura took from the dresser a beige skirt that was tight and came to Nozomi's knees and paired it was a dark blue silk shirt. She took them into the bathroom with her and set them on the toilet while she showered.

Sakura turned the water as hot as she could bear, her skin turning a bright pink under the abuse. She scrubbed hard, her mind always on Itachi as the time slowly loomed closer to when she would be forced to sit near him. Sakura didn't know if she would be able to restrain herself so close to the monster.

It could be so fast—a butter knife to the neck was all it would take. She might be able to pull it off if he was unprepared. Itachi was fast, but so was Nozomi. Sakura could see it in her mind, already feeling the blood rushing out onto her hands as Itachi fell to the floor, dead. She could save Shisui. Sasuke could have his parents. The loss of a brother, compared to the loss of an entire family, was preferable in her mind. Sasuke would miss Itachi, but he would never be broken, not like he was now.

Sakura got out of the shower and changed into the clothes she'd picked out. Nozomi's face stared back at her in the mirror as she brushed out the girl's hair. The girl's large, pretty black eyes were wide with terror. Her soft mouth trembled, making her look frail. Sakura bit down on her bottom lip savagely, not wanting to see the proof of her own weakness.

She heard voices from the front of the house and she knew instinctually that Shisui and Itachi had arrived. Raising her eyes and closing off her emotions, Sakura walked out of her room and down the hall to meet them. Shisui spotted her first and grinned. Itachi regarded her with slight interest, but did not smile. Sakura didn't let her eyes focus on him for more than a second.

"How was training?" Shisui wanted to know. His eyebrows were raised, reminding her of the message her sensei had sent about her training with her teammates.

Sakura opted for honesty. "I trained alone."

"I should be upset, but I can't honestly say that I blame you. That Hyuuga kid has got serious issues. Now, you should say hi to Itachi." He whispered the last part for only her. Sakura steeled her nerves, trying to keep the sharp edge out of her tone as she addressed Itachi.

"Hello, Itachi-san. How are you?"

Itachi inclined his head, his eyes never losing their disinterested look. "I'm fine, thank you Nozomi-san."

It hardly sounded, or felt, like the exchange of a couple that was to one day be married. Or perhaps it did. Sakura had not been born into a large clan and did not, therefore, have any experience with arranged marriages.

Shisui looked disapproving of their curt transfer, but their mother had come to bid them to dinner and it ruined his chance to say anything about it. Nozomi's father was standing at the head of the kitchen table; he welcomed Itachi warmly, as though the boy were a second son. Sakura found—to her disgust—that her mother had arranged it so that she was seated next to Itachi, so close that their arms nearly touched.

Her fingers curled tightly around her fork, reminding her of her earlier day dream. Now that she was so close, it seemed realer. It would be so easy, a part of her moaned. She could do it before anyone had a chance to move…

Sakura had a hard time sitting through dinner. The delicious food was like ash in her mouth, and she tasted none of it. She couldn't focus on the conversation around her—just the sound of Itachi's husky voice sent her hackles up and made her raise the fork. She felt like a crazy person, her mind so warped by the idea of murder. It seemed to her like she was stooping to his level of ruthlessness.

By the time dinner was over and Itachi preparing to leave, Sakura felt as though a hundred years had gone by; aging her beyond her sixteen years.

The food she'd managed to consume turned to lead in her gut when her mother—quite loudly—suggested that Nozomi should walk Itachi to the front door. Her tone made it seem less like an implication and more like a firm command. Sakura smiled woodenly at her family and began to trek back to the front door with Itachi.

All night Itachi had been well-mannered and courteous, his charming façade never once slipping; it didn't change once they were alone. She walked him to the door, her hands longing to wrap around his pale neck and strangle the life from his treacherous body. Itachi offered her another polite bow that she had to return.

"Good night Nozomi," he murmured.

She glared at his back as he walked away from her house. "Good bye, Itachi."

Sakura didn't go back to see her family, instead walking straight to Nozomi's room and shutting the door firmly behind her. She began to strip out of her clothes and into a pair of warm pajamas. Shisui came into her room without knocking as she was lying down, wanting to get back to her own time and life.

"Nozomi, can we speak for a moment?" He lay down next to her in the bed; there was plenty of room for him. Sakura didn't resist when he wrapped an arm around her. It reminded her of the way she'd woken up that morning. "Why didn't you talk to Itachi?"

Sakura frowned at her wall. Telling him "I was ignoring him, so that I didn't shove my fork into his carotid artery," didn't seem like a very good idea. When she was silent, Shisui sighed quietly.

"I wish you would trust me on this one." He hesitated and then said, "once, awhile ago now, I lost my head in a fight. I would've died if Itachi hadn't been there to bring me back to earth. I—I'd just lost a teammate; a friend. I was so _angry_."

Sakura listened in hushed silence, a vision of Naruto's beaten body at her feet. She imagined the rage she would be capable of in that scenario and understood his feelings.

"But that's not the only time. He's always there to help me. He'll never hurt you, Nozomi. I know it."

Sakura closed her eyes. "If you're sleeping in here tonight get under the covers and shut up."

Shisui heard the wavering note in her voice, which signaled on coming tears and then wiggled around to join her under the blankets. His warmth against her back was comforting. Shisui fell asleep quickly, though she knew it was the light sleep of a ninja who was prepared to attack on a dime.

Sakura, however, stayed awake for a long time and cried silently for the boy who had placed so much faith into the _wrong person_. It was too easy to love Shisui; too easy to accept him as her own brother. And it was going to be hard—harder than anything she'd yet faced—to let him go.

* * *

**A/N: **Once again this chapter was self-edited, so there are probably a butt-load of mistakes that I missed. Considering that she's as bad as me, Makii will probably miss them too so, once again, I make this plea: somewhere out there, if there is someone (_anyone)_ with editing experience—I NEED AN EDITOR. 'Cause gawd I suck.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor do I make any claims towards ownership.


	3. In Training

**Finding Time,**

…In Training

(Chapter Three)

* * *

Sakura groaned quietly, rolling onto her side, using her pillow to drown out the noise of Shisui's shouting. He stood just outside her room, stopped from entering by her locked door. It had been five days since Sakura had first started going back in time and she was quickly becoming more familiar with Nozomi's mannerisms and attitude towards her family and companions.

Right now, for example, she felt a deep sense of irritation towards her sometimes-brother, her lack of sleep getting the best of her. It felt like she wasn't sleeping at all; considering that whenever she slept she just changed bodies again. However, she _did_ feel slightly more rested in Nozomi's body than she did in her own.

Luck, perhaps, or it could have been purposeful. Something she wouldn't know until she found Madam Yokurai, the fortune teller, again. Which—Sakura told herself firmly—she **would**. There were too many questions left over that needed to be answered.

"Nozomi _come on_!" Shisui yelled again, this time bumping against her door. Sakura hissed out a curse under her breath and threw back the covers. The wood floors were freezing under her bare feet and she yelped, darting across the room to get clothes to change into. Shisui paused, though the blissful silence was short lived. "Are you up?"

"Yes," Sakura told him grumpily, changing into training clothes. "Now go away. I'll be there in a second."

"Great!" His footsteps retreated and she sighed in relief.

Nozomi's sensei was on another mission today and—after the last disaster of his last attempt to make her Genin team work together—he had allowed them to train alone. Shisui had been happy to hear this and had been insisting since last night that they train together, stating that Nozomi no longer spent enough time with him.

This was impossible, of course, since he snuck into her room all the time to bother her. But she was starting to like it; Shisui made her happy. To Nozomi, Shisui was her sun, brightening her life and bringing her joy. Sakura understood the feeling—Naruto was the source of her own happiness, always keeping her from getting too caught up in her pain. In many ways, Shisui and Naruto were very similar. It was a small comfort in a strange, alien world.

Dressed, Sakura put on her house slippers, glad to get her feet off the wood floors. She walked down the hallways she had begun to memorize, her stomach leading her to the kitchen where breakfast waited. The closer she got, the louder Shisui and her mother's voices became.

Shisui had a plate ready for her, she found as she sat down. As always, it was packed with too much food. Sakura filled up a cup with water and sat down to begin eating. While she knew she needed the strength the food would give her to keep up with Shisui, she also knew that too much food would leave her bending over a bush to dump the contents of her stomach back out during training.

They ate breakfast quickly, Shisui filling up most of the conversation with talk of Itachi, and also of his new position in the Police Branch. Their mother responded with enthusiasm, the pride in her voice clear. Sakura tried to be happy for Shisui, though Itachi's name continuously popping up made the words on her tongue bitter.

So she remained silent through the meal, helping to clean up when they were finished eating.

As Shisui and Sakura left for the training grounds, Nozomi's mother handed them two lunchboxes packed with filling, delicious-looking food. Sakura had to hang back to hide the tears in her eyes—the memory of her own mother doing the same thing was stabbing into her, making her feel guilty for not visiting the woman. Sakura shook off the feeling, not wanting Shisui to see her cry; he would demand answers and not be satisfied until she was spilling her guts at his feet.

Sakura appreciated his concern for her, though—even if it wasn't actually _her_ whom he worried about. It was nice to be cared for nonetheless.

As they walked through the Uchiha lands to their family's private training grounds (something Sakura didn't, but should have, known about), Shisui asked for updates on Sakura's training. She spoke little of her team; focusing on the things they had studied during the short time she'd known them, as opposed to the people on her team.

Her sensei was an older man she'd never met before in her own time, despite her work in Tsunade's office, and she didn't have a formed enough opinion of him to comment on his personality.

He seemed more reliable than Kakashi; arriving promptly at the time he'd told them he would. He even felt more like a teacher than Kakashi ever had—but it still didn't feel _right_. No matter what, Kakashi would always be her only accepted teacher. Even Tsunade didn't have that place in her heart; the woman felt more like a grandmother—though Sakura would never say "grandmother" to Tsunade's face.

Team seven was sacred, and the discord in Nozomi's team made Sakura long for her own.

Of course, factoring in Sasuke disbanding from Konoha and Sai's insertion into their team, it seemed like Nozomi's Genin squad was far sturdier. But everyone in team seven loved one another, as Nozomi's teammates did not. Sakura knew, even though Sasuke was off somewhere in the world being irritating, and Sai continued to wear his flimsy poker-face, team seven meant something to them both.

Shisui set down their lunches in a patch of flat, grassy land, bringing her back to what was going on. They'd arrived at one of the training grounds—it was a large clearing, the trees circling the open area within easy leaping distance. It was an excellent space for training; a good mixture of thick forest for cover and open ground for hand-to-hand combat. Trust the Uchiha clan to have such a gem stored away.

Sakura started to stretch out Nozomi's body, preparing herself for a difficult battle. She had no doubts that Shisui was going to go easy on her, but that didn't mean it was going to be effortless fighting him. Shisui, despite his outward appearance of nonchalant silliness, was still an ANBU ranked ninja who stood on level with Itachi. To forget that would lead to her being swiftly beaten.

When they did begin to spar, Shisui, watching Sakura with sharp crimson eyes, the three tomoe in his sharingan spinning, critiqued each of her moves. Sakura learned something quickly as she tried to fend off his attacks and keep Nozomi's sharingan activated at the same time: Shisui was terrifyingly intelligent.

Within seconds her moves were being analyzed and blocked; Shisui's use of both his sharingan and his perceptive insight keeping him one step ahead at all times. She was beginning to respond faster to him though, thanks to his wise suggestions. He knew what he was talking about.

Sakura blinked sweat from her eyes, not having the time to wipe it away. Shisui would undoubtedly leap upon that split second of defenselessness. The girl stared ahead with the sharingan, ignoring her headache. No matter how many times she practiced with them, it never failed to leave her with a blinding migraine. She'd been keeping them activated much longer than she had been the last few days, too, so it was worse than normal.

"Give up?" her brother called teasingly, his voice coming from everywhere. Sakura tensed up, scanning the tree line. "You look tired."

"I'm not." She denied. His laughter rang out, making her eyebrow tick. She slipped a hand cautiously into the kunai pack at her side, one finger curling around the hole in the closest kunai. She had barely gotten her fingers around it when something smashed into the ground next to her, making the earth groan.

Sakura leapt away through the smoke the explosion had caused, flinging the kunai down at Shisui. His eyes snapped up, following her. The clone batted away the kunai, his fingers already moving. She tried to follow the jutsu he was about to use, leaping backwards, farther into the trees. But the clone's body swirled around dizzyingly and faded, leaving nothing behind. Sakura froze instantly on a tree branch, trying to shrink down into the leaves.

Crap. Genjutsu.

In her own body, Sakura could easily break almost any genjutsu. Nozomi, however, was weak to them. Keeping her breathing quiet, the girl moved around in the trees, her ears straining against the silent forest. Not for the first time that day Sakura was grateful she wasn't truly fighting against Shisui. She'd have been dead long, long ago.

As if to prove her most recent thought, branches from the tree behind her suddenly shot out, wrapping tightly around her waist, pinning her in against the thick trunk. Shisui melted out of the tree.

"Surrender?"

Sakura glared at him.

"Well?" he prompted. His smile was smug.

"I surrender."

Immediately Sakura's whole world changed. She was still in the clearing, where she'd been minute's earlier, kunai in hand, not thrown. She'd never leapt into the trees; never moved. The clone had been a diversion and she hadn't even noticed. Feeling sulky and cheated, Sakura put her kunai back away, scowling.

She released the sharingan a moment later, blinking her eyes a few time, not enjoying how the world seemed to dim. Her headache, seemingly bad before, was now blinding. The distraction of fighting had helped her ignore the pounding, but now there was nothing to distract her. Shisui jumped out of a tree somewhere in front of her, his brows knotted.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked worriedly, seeing the agony in her face.

"Headache," she told him hurriedly, not wanting him to worry. She tried to smile. "I've got some chakra left; I can make it go away, I think."

The boy looked surprised. "How long have you been studying healing jutsu?"

Sakura froze in horror, feeling stupid for letting something so massive leak out. She _had_ to start paying more attention. "Uh, not long really—just a few books here and there."

The boy smiled, his warm brown eyes crinkling. "Medical ninjas are very useful. I'm glad you've decided to take it up. A healer is always needed in a battle." He looked at their lunch. "Let's eat. I'm starving!"

Sakura nodded and followed him silently. She focused first on getting Nozomi's wild chakra to behave so she could soothe her headache, before she let herself worry about letting slip something major. She'd gotten lucky this time—very lucky—that Nozomi loved to learn and often pushed herself into new things. It was the only reason she didn't have to fabricate some long, stupid story she wouldn't remember later.

Shisui served the food while Sakura poured their tea into the tiny cups they mother had packed. It was a nice meal; eaten in comfortable silence.

Shisui was the first to break it, watching her speculatively. "You haven't brought up Itachi in awhile."

She choked on her tea, spluttering for a moment as she tried to draw air into her abused lungs. She put down the rice ball she'd been nibbling on and rubbed a hand over her chest. Her brother waited, both eyebrows raised. Finally she managed to grind out, "what is there to talk about?"

"Plenty," he responded cheerfully. "What would you like to know? And don't say 'nothing'. I know you're still nervous about this whole mess and I think it's very important that you learn exactly what kind of person Itachi is. He's not a bad guy."

_That's what you think_, Sakura responded sarcastically in her head. Aloud she said: "I'm really not interested."

Her brother smiled at her indulgently. "The first time Itachi and I met we were very little. He was only four." Sakura breathed out in annoyance as he carried on without seeming to care she was irritated. "The third ninja war was raging on and we were a part of it."

"Wait—," Sakura held out a hand, horrified. "Itachi was involved when he was only _four_?"

Shisui's smile was small and bitter. "Even children are of use. Itachi was gifted even then and we needed him. He didn't go on missions; merely defended Konohagakure from outside invaders. He'd already gotten his Sharingan by then. He was a prodigy. Konoha's pride." He sighed, looking older somehow.

"War is never pretty, Nozomi. We were too young to see those things, but what could be done? War is…intense." He laughed as though the way he'd worded it amused him. "Honestly, I'm surprised we're as sane as we are. The things I saw changed me. I know that."

"Shisui…" Sakura trailed off, the words on her tongue seeming flimsy and inappropriate. Nothing she could say would make him feel better. She could not consol him in this.

They lapsed into silence; Sakura staring down at the tea leaves swimming slowly around the top of her cup as she let her mind wander. Learning of Itachi's childhood was making her feel sick. She didn't want to pity Itachi—she _refused_ to pity him. So he'd been forced to kill people far before he was ready. It still didn't give him the right to murder his entire family!

"Shisui," Sakura spoke up, "you were seven then, right?"

"Hmm?" He spoke around a mouthful of rice and shrimp. "Yeah."

Sakura nodded absently and chewed on her lip. The same age as Sasuke was now—how could they have done that to children? It horrified her to imagine Shisui using hands still small and soft with youth to kill someone. At seven she'd been crying over her forehead, or imagining herself as a great ninja who saved people. She'd played with _dolls_. That was an appropriate life for a seven year old.

Shisui smiled slightly, seeing the thoughts clearly written in the twist of her mouth. "Oh Nozomi, you worry too much."

_I worry just the right amount_, Sakura griped in her mind, but once again withheld. She didn't feel like arguing with him in what was sure to be a losing battle. The girl took a large bite of her lunch, chewing it viciously as she sought something to change the subject over to. The inspiration came like the shot from a gun.

"Oh, Shisui," she mumbled around her mouthful. "Have you ever heard of anyone named Madara?"

In truth, Sakura herself knew very little about the supposed Uchiha clan member (which, if Itachi had only left Sasuke alive, she didn't see how he could possibly be wandering around…). Unless, as Naruto and Jiraiya had suspected after hearing word of the man, he was a part of the clan's slaughter. Tsunade had vaguely remembered the man's name, but after hours of searching through Uchiha documents she and Sakura had given up hope of finding anything about him in Konohagakure's records.

"Madara?" He seemed surprised by the question. "Of course. He was our clans elder; one of our first founders."

It was Sakura's turned to be surprised. If what her brother said was true, then there _should_ have been records of him in the Uchiha file. It made very little sense that there wasn't.

"He helped the Senju clan found Konohagakure." Shisui picked a leaf from his shirt and twirled it between his fingers. He watched it blur into one large, solid green shape. "Of course, the Senju clan feared our power. They put leashes on us; restrained our power in the village. They gave us the Police Branch to keep us happy—we all understood, however, the insult in that."

"Insult?" Sakura repeated mutely.

"The Police Branch holds no real power—over civilians, perhaps, but not the council, or ANBU. It was a humiliation to have to bear such a thing and Madara didn't want to stand for it: he challenged the Hokage in a battle for our rights. We should have been at the top of Konohagakure. _We_ have always been the strongest clan."

Shisui spun the leaf faster. His normally cheerful, happy face was drawn in rage, his eyes on the brink of crimson. "But the clan didn't agree with him then; we didn't want another war so soon as another had been stopped. So he was silenced, exiled and his ideas ignored. But it was wrong of us and we're only now seeing this. Madara had it right all along."

"Oh, yes," Sakura hurriedly agreed when the leaf froze its motion and her brother looked up. She felt suspended in place, chills breaking out into goose bumps on her arms. She didn't much like this Shisui.

The boy smiled proudly at her agreement. "I knew you were one of us, Nozomi."

The statement was odd—scary, almost, considering his previous statements. Sakura let the conversation die, going back to her food. When Shisui spoke of Madara's feelings about his clan…he seemed to agree with how the man had felt. And strongly. Surely the Uchiha clan had gotten over their previous disagreements? The whole village respected and looked up to the clan. They couldn't possibly feel cheated now.

"Nozomi, I have something I—," Shisui began, but stopped, seeing something from over her shoulder.

Sakura turned and spotted Itachi at the edge of the training grounds. He was wearing the ANBU uniform, his mask pulled up away from his face. The uniform looked good on him, the color offsetting the dark of his eyes. Sakura squashed the fan girl inside of her that, years ago, would have sent her squealing after him.

Shisui was stunned. "Itachi—that uniform—you…"

Itachi closed his eyes and when he opened them they were no longer crimson, but a deep, chocolate brown. "I was accepted into ANBU."

"When?"

"This afternoon."

"That's great!" Shisui exclaimed, smiling at his young friend. Sakura watched him stand and go to offer Itachi a warm handshake. Though he seemed excited and happy for Itachi, there was something deep in her brother's eyes. It was almost…anger, perhaps. But what could he be angry about? Getting into ANBU was an honor. Was he jealous? Somehow that didn't seem likely, but she still new very little about Shisui, in truth.

"Thank you, Shisui," Itachi replied politely, accepting the hand offered. He shook it briefly.

Shisui wrapped an arm around Itachi's shoulders and steered him towards Sakura and their lunch. "Come eat with us; we've got food left. You can tell us all about the test. And show us your tattoo!"

Itachi, dragged over, was forced to sit beside Sakura, who did her best not to recoil away from him in distaste. He obligingly rolled up his sleeve to show off the shiny, black tattoo on his upper arm. It was red, inflamed and painful looking, but a minor injury to someone used to battle wounds. Sakura studied the beautiful swirl of the ANBU insignia, admiring it. It'd always been a dream—a ridiculous one, perhaps—of hers to join ANBU.

To feel the power in knowing you had received a brand that told the world of your strength. Sakura sighed quietly and occupied her hands with the task of pulling blades of grass up and letting them fall in a shower over her legs.

Itachi and Shisui talked quietly about the ANBU test, Itachi confirming some of Shisui's questions on what it was like, but not divulging much more. It was against ANBU law to allow those outside the rank to know what the test was like. Itachi briefly asked Shisui about his Police Branch promotion and that flash of something she couldn't place sparked through her brother's dark eyes again.

But it was gone just as quickly as before. Sakura rubbed a blade of grass between her fingers, frowning at Shisui. In the week she'd been living as his sister, she'd never seen him like this. He was so…mad today—she figured it must be because of Itachi, but it seemed hard to believe after how Shisui had talked about the teen.

Shisui trusted and liked, Itachi. So he couldn't be _that_ angry with the boy. Perhaps they'd argued about something while she wasn't around…

A bird ripped out of the forest and towards them, a small white tube around its ankle. Shisui stood and held out his arm hurriedly, receiving the fast moving pigeon with practiced ease. He unclipped the tube and rolled out the parchment tucked inside. While he read, the bird hopped up to his shoulder, waiting in case of a reply.

Itachi and Sakura watched him read. When he'd finished Itachi asked, "Is it from my father?"

"Yes," Shisui answered. "A meeting for all Branch members; I have to go now." He paused, having sent the bird away without reply. "Sorry I couldn't finish training with you, Nozomi. You'll walk her home right, Itachi?"

Sakura opened her mouth to quickly assure her sibling she did _not_ need to be walked home. Itachi was already nodding, though. "Of course I will, Shisui."

The brown-haired teen beamed at them. "Great! I'll see you guys later."

Sakura watched him leave in horror. When he disappeared into the trees, she turned to face Itachi, struck with the realization she had been left alone—in the woods—with a crazed psychopathic murderer.

Excellent.

Itachi studied her for a moment, his face distant and impassive. She felt like a stranger he was trying to figure out: was she stupid, or just slow sometimes? "Would you…like to continue training?"

She yelped. "No!"

Itachi blinked, "oh." From the look on his face, he'd just decided she was the slow type.

Sakura cleared her throat, pink cheeked by her outburst. "Uh, that is, I'm really tired. Long day. Out of chakra, too."

"I see," he responded. "In that case, allow me to walk you home."

She smiled tensely, feeling it strain across her face. It was brittle looking and obviously forced. She didn't want to be around him, and it was pretty apparent he didn't want to be around her either. Well that was _just fine_.

Sakura gathered up all the lunch items, cleaning them briefly in the small stream near where they'd eaten; that done she packed them all away and slung the bag holding the now empty containers over her shoulder. Itachi stood where she'd left him, waiting without appearing to mind; his blank, uncaring mask was as perfectly set as ever. It irritated Sakura to no end and she jerked her eyes away from his face.

She stomped past him, not bothering to thank him for waiting for her while she needlessly straightened up. She knew her mother was waiting to take and clean them properly, but somehow, deep down, she'd been hoping it would annoy him if he had to wait even longer. The silence stretched between them for miles, making the air around them feel thick and anxious.

Sakura ignored the feeling as best she could, trying to recite the entire Medical Ninja's Guide To Success manual in her head. She kept mixing up diseases, her jumbled brain unable to properly place together symptoms to cures. At last, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Congratulations on getting into ANBU." She snapped, tone clipped. It was the worst possible way she could have delivered her sentiments she instantly regretted opening her mouth.

"Thank you, Nozomi." He was either ignoring the way she'd spoken, or he really didn't care. "I should be offering you congratulations as well for passing into the chunin rank."

Somehow, the way he'd worded it, made it feel like he was making fun of her. Like being a chunin was barely more than being a toddler. She clenched her teeth until her jaw began to ache.

She racked her brain for something else to talk about before she tried to hit him with something. "Sasuke." She spoke aloud, surprising both of them. He looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"My brother?"

"I uh, saw him—that is—training the other day." She fumbled, "he's progressing well."

For just a bare moment, the older boy's eyes softened, making him look nearly his age for once. "Yes, he is doing well. Sasuke is going to be a great ninja one day—he has a talent not many ninja's are lucky to receive."

It was more than she'd ever heard him talk and Sakura did her best not to stare at him in an open-mouthed gape. "Do you train with him?"

"If possible."

"That's good," Sakura flashed him a small smile—the first she'd managed in his presence since she'd come here. She felt amazed her face didn't crack. There was a touch of amusement as she told him, "you know, Itachi, a little R&R is good for a ninja."

"I suppose." He blinked down at her, studying her for a moment. "It's hard to find time."

"Finding time is important, Itachi. '_Lost time is never found again'_, she quoted. "We only have one shot at life and then it's over. You shouldn't waste precious moments."

As she spoke, the trees thinned away, revealing the smooth stone pathway she and Shisui had taken earlier that morning to reach the training site. Itachi's feet made no noise compared to the tap of her sandals slapping lightly against the road. The quiet noise made her feel loud and clumsy.

Itachi didn't speak again, instead simply watching her silently as they made their way back to her house, occasionally moving a little out of her way as she would veer to a different side of the walkway. Exhaustion mixed with a blinding headache was making her usually straight walk into a wobbly mess. Later, when she had the mind to care, she'd be embarrassed she let Itachi see her in such a state.

She was halfway into her house when he cleared his throat. Thinking he was reminding her that she hadn't thanked him for walking her home, nor had she uttered the common polite "goodbye", Sakura turned, bright red. "Oh, sorry—,"

He, very unlike himself, cut her off. "Nozomi, would you like to come train with Sasuke and I this tomorrow?" There was an odd gleam in his eye she wasn't sure she was actually seeing. His mouth twisted up in amusement. "I've got time off and I think I could use a little rest and relaxation."

Sakura made the oddest, strangled laugh-thing noise she'd ever made. Her smile was small and twitching as she debated on amusement over the fact that _Itachi_ had just made a joke, or disbelief that _**Itachi**_ had just made a joke. He stared at her, though now he was looking a little worried.

She cleared her throat hurriedly, plastering on a nice, big fake smile Sai would have been jealous of. "Sure! I'd like that a lot, Itachi."

The boy inclined his head just so, "Sasuke and I will pick you up tomorrow morning then. Goodbye."

"Bye." She gave a clipped wave before going into Nozomi's house, absently kicking off her shoes in the front entrance. "I'm home!"

Her mother's voice came faintly from the living room, "welcome home, Nozomi. Where's Shisui?"

Only a ninja mother would notice two people had come towards the house, but only one entered. Sakura smiled, though in the back of her mind she thanked Kami her own mother was just a normal civilian. Too many times Kakashi or Naruto had popped into her window to talk, and she knew how awkward a conversation that would have been trying to explain their presence in her room to her worried mother.

"He got called away by the Branch. Itachi walked me home."

Her mother was suddenly at the sliding door pulling it open, looking excited and mischievous. "Itachi did?"

Sakura glared at the woman, cheeks threatening to turn pink. "_Nothing_ happened. Shisui asked him to, anyway. I'm going to go shower."

The woman's black eyes studied her face for a moment. She brightened, so she must have liked whatever she saw. "Put your clothes in the laundry hamper; I'm about to start a new load in a moment."

Sakura huffed, knowing the woman was already returning to her needlework. "Fine, fine." She stopped by her room for a moment to get out some clean clothing before ducking into her bathroom for a quick shower. The hot water felt good on her aching shoulders and she stood under them for longer than she would have normally, enjoying the feeling.

Sakura scratched shampoo into her scalp, sighing at the tingling sensation her short nails left. She always felt grimy after a long training session and a shower was more than welcome. Shisui's chakra presence entered the house as she was toweling off, and the teen hastened to finish getting dry and dressed so she could talk to him before their mother pounced on him for news of the Branch meeting.

Her haste was unnecessary, however, since Shisui appeared to want to speak to her as well; he was laying on her bed, reading a scroll that had come unraveled and fallen to the floor when she came from the bathroom. Sakura shot him a look of dissaproval lined with annoyance.

"What are you doing?"

He peeked at her from under the scroll, "you decent?"

"Obviously." She snorted. "I wouldn't have come out if I wasn't." The girl hung up the towel she'd used to dry her hair, sitting next to him on the bed as she brushed out the after-shower tangles in Nozomi's dark, heavy hair. "What was the meeting about?"

"The usual," he told her and then in the same breath, "nothing exciting in the least—how was your walk home?"

"The usual; nothing exciting in the least," she mimicked. He shot her a dark glare from around the scroll. Smiling at him, she conceded. "It was nice. Itachi invited me to train with him and Sasuke tomorrow."

Shisui's eyebrows shot up, the devilish look in his eyes speaking loudly. "Did he now?"

"Don't look so hopeful." She groused, taking the scroll from his lax fingers and studying it. It was one of their family's jutsu scrolls and she gave it back, not interested. "It's just a training session. Nothing more."

"Of course." He agreed easily, though she knew it wouldn't be the last time that day the subject was broached. The girl stood momentarily to go fetch her own reading material before she got back onto the bed, forcing Shisui over against the wall to make space for herself. He grumbled for a minute but it wasn't long before he'd scooted back onto her side.

Sakura let her mind wander as she aimlessly read about the chunin guidelines for new recruits (something she already knew well from her own time and body). As it was prone to, considering her predicament, her brain turned to Itachi. She'd been wondering since that afternoon why it was Itachi _hadn't_ joined the Police Branch. ANBU was a great honor, of course, it just seemed like he'd be more likely to follow in his families footsteps.

Which reminded her…

"Shisui," she said, laying her book on her stomach. He looked at her.

"Mm?"

Sakura turned her head on the pillow which smooshed her hair into her face. She began shoving it back under her head with her fingers while she spoke. "Shisui, why…did you seem so angry when you heard Itachi was accepted into ANBU?"

Her brother looked at her in surprise, chocolate eyes wide. Slowly, hesitating on an answer, he spoke, brow furrowing. "It's…complicated, Nozomi."

"Complicated." Sakura studied him intently, "a lot of things are complicated when it comes to Itachi."

"Agreed," Shisui laughed. "I am proud of Itachi; happy for him to receive such an honor." The boy set down his scroll and sat up. His short hair was in messy spikes around his head—he ran his fingers though them, furthering their chaos. "I just cannot understand why he would not join the Police Branch like the rest of our family has. Maybe I'm just overreacting, but it was disappointing to know he'd chosen ANBU over his family."

Sakura thought about it for a moment as Shisui waited patiently for her to reply. "Maybe…" she started, "Itachi doesn't see it like you do, Shisui. Maybe this is his way of protecting our family." _Right before he destroys it entirely_, Inner Sakura added angrily.

"You could be right." Shisui ruffled her hair with a grin. "No way of really knowing with Itachi."

Sakura harrumphed at that and picked her book back up. Itachi may be a mystery, but she still knew the ending to this story.

oOo

Later that night, after a warm, filling dinner where her mother gushed excitedly over her "date" with Itachi (she was plainly ignoring that Sakura had mentioned Sasuke was going along), Sakura laid down to finish reading the book Shisui had lent her that afternoon. He'd insisted she try reading something _besides_ a handbook and had forcefully pushed a mystery novel into her hands. The girl put the book over her face, dropping her hands to her stomach with a sigh.

What should she wear? It seemed like something simplistic and loose would suffice, but her mother had been fretting about it all throughout dinner and it seemed likely that Sakura wasn't going to be get out of the house wearing something like that. But she had a feeling wearing anything overly girly would merely annoy Itachi, or amuse him and she didn't feel like giving him anything else embarrassing against her.

Sakura sighed, the book's smooth pages icy against her forehead when she adjusted it to a higher position. There was something else, besides clothing, bothering her. It kept coming back; the gentle look on Itachi's face when he spoke of Sasuke. It was _bothering_ her endlessly. There was such obvious love for Sasuke in his eyes that it left her hopelessly confused.

Could this be the reason Itachi had not killed Sasuke, when he'd mercilessly ended the lives of the rest of his family? It seemed logical, really, to reach that conclusion.

But if Itachi had loved Sasuke and protected him from himself, why had the murders taken place at all? _What_ had driven Itachi towards such a brutal act? Nothing was lining up and it was a terrible frustration.

And, on top of that annoyance, she just couldn't get Shisui's face out of her head when he'd seen Itachi in his ANBU uniform. How deep an insult was it really for Itachi to have refused a position in the Police Branch? The girl sighed; it had to be bad enough that easy-going Shisui would get angered.

Which, of course, raised the question: could Itachi's killings have had some deeper meaning than simple insanity? Sakura really didn't want to let herself think about paths like that. It was easier to imagine someone a heartless murderer than to realize some deep, insidious plot was underfoot. She wasn't going to let herself make assumptions, though—Sakura raised the book off her face and tried to focus on the words.

She would sneak into the records facility again and do some research before she passed judgment. She would also need to put in a search towards Madara. She had a feeling he had more of a part in what was going on than seemed. Or maybe she was just crazy.

One thing was for sure, Shisui and the rest of the family looked up to him and, considering what she'd heard of his life, that was _not_ a good thing.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the late chapter, everyone. But I finally got this thing finished! Phew. The broth continues to thicken! What will Sakura find? No clue. Keep reading. :)

**Beta:** _Rukagohime_ [thank you, hon. I appreciate all your hard work].

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor do I make any claims towards ownership. I am not making any money from the writing of this fanfiction.


End file.
